Budget Week at the Capitol
This past week was budget week at the Capitol, and while we weren’t officially in session, we were busy at work for the people of Georgia. Chairman Hatchett, our House Appropriations Chairman from Dublin, heard from agency heads and cabinet members each day of the week about their priorities, funding requests, and issues pertaining to their department or agency. Their input and expertise help us craft a budget that meets the needs of all Georgians as efficiently as possible, being as mindful as possible that the funds we appropriate are the taxpayers—not ours. I want to thank Chairman Hatchett and all of our presenters this past week for their hard work and dedication to helping us finalize a budget we can all be proud of.
On Monday, we celebrated the life of Dr. King by attending the Effingham County MLK Celebration Breakfast in Springfield. It was such an honor to see so many friends and constituents out in force to remember Dr. King. My hope is that we will all continue to fight to make life better for all of our neighbors.
On Tuesday, I was back in Atlanta to make an exciting announcement regarding our Pre-K education system. As many of you know, last year we passed House Bill 538 the Georgia Early Literacy Act to strengthen literacy rates across our state and support early learning. This year, we are going to build on that through historic investments in our Pre-K education system. Joined by Pro Tem Jan Jones, I was proud to announce that we will be working to lower class sizes, increase salaries for our assistant and lead teachers, and boost start-up funds for Pre-K classrooms to get off the ground. We want our students to start fast and finish strong, and we believe prioritizing early education will pay dividends for our future leaders of tomorrow.
On Wednesday and Thursday, I had the privilege of meeting with many of our state’s university presidents. It was great to hear about so many of the success stories happening in our higher education institutions across the state, as well as the challenges they are facing. We know that educational success is not a one size fits all solution, but our colleges and universities continue to be incubators for advanced learning and the workforce of tomorrow, and I’m grateful for the work they’re continuing to do.
This week, we will resume regular session, and have some exciting announcements regarding economic development and tax policy for our state. Stay tuned for more—and as always, if there is anything our office can be helpful with, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
My best,
Speaker Jon Burns